Frailty
by petite etoile22
Summary: Jo dutifully holds back the blonde’s hair as she vomits in the gutter. To passers-by they just look like a pair of lager ladettes; not two exhausted spies.


_This is based solely on the **TRAILER** for **7.05**. It's a Ros/Jo friendship. I don't own [Spooks], Kudos and the BBC do._

_WARNING: Implied Non-Con._

* * *

They're kissing passionately, and she has all the intelligence they need so what happens next is easy. The classic_ 'I'm sorry but I can't, my fiancé...'_ exit. Simple.

Then the phone rings.

And the look on his face tells her that the word 'simple' has been trampled over by 'shit', 'hit', and 'fan'.

The look on his face tells her that her cover has been blown.

The look on his face is one you don't want to see in the middle of a Honey Trap operation.

He smashes the wine glass and she instinctively takes a step back, hunting for a makeshift weapon as she moves.

There isn't one.

"My bodyguard knows your friend Lucas. You fucking lied to me!" he spits.

Ros goes down the only avenue that is left available to her.

"Yes, yes I did"

The truth.

"Do you know what happens to people who lie to me?"

She has a pretty good idea that it involves sleeping and fishes.

"I teach them a lesson. I hurt them. What do you think will hurt your friend Lucas?" he whispers softly in her ear.

Ros is starting to see death as quite an appealing option.

"I don't know" she replies, inflecting a steely tone into her voice as his hand travels further up her thigh.

"I do"

* * *

Lucas burst onto the Grid, a bundle of nervous energy. Harry picks up on it immediately and leaves his office, heading towards Malcolm's desk where Lucas is pacing furiously.

"Where's Ros? Has she called in yet?"

"She still with Meynell"

"Shit!" he exclaims, kicking a nearby desk.

"What's happened?"

"We're blown Harry, we've been blown wide open"

"Malcolm, get onto Ben and Jo. Tell them to get her out of there now! Lucas, how long?"

"I got the phone call on my way into Thames House. Asa was gloating about how they knew everything"

"Harry, they're on their way to get her"

"Good. Can we get a call log of his mobile"

"Ran one while I was making contact; nothing"

"Try the hotel line" Lucas cuts in.

"A call from ma-"

"That's Asa, what time?"

"Half an hour ago"

"He fucking lied, he told me he had just got off..."

"My God" Harry sighs.

The three men sit in silence.

They all know what can happen in half an hour.

They all know the message they have been sent.

"What do we do Harry?"

"We wait"

It's the only thing they can do now.

* * *

Jo looks over at Ben and is pained to see him looked so distressed. This is his first time on this type of op. She remembers the look of horror on his face when she explained to him the implications; the lengths Ros might have to go to. She didn't tell him how horribly it can go wrong. She doesn't want to tell him what he might find in the hotel room.

"Jo?"

"It'll be alright Ben" she says in a weak bid to reassure their newest member; and herself.

"B-"

"Nothing's wrong!" Jo snaps, and immediately feels guilty about her lie. Something is wrong, badly wrong, but she can't afford to believe that right now. They take the fire escape. Ben is silent, but as he ascends each concrete step, he can feel the extent of his panic deepen. Every cell in his body is telling him to turn and run. He can't be there for Ros, he's just the new kid.

"I can't do this"

"You don't have a choice"

It's like Ros' voice has just left Jo's mouth, and her steely gaze gives him a harsh warning.

"I-"

"She withstood water torture just to find out if a colleague was really dead. She died saving Harry"

"She didn't though"

"She didn't know it was fake. She died. If she can die for this team, then you're fucking well going to help get her out of this hotel. Do I make myself clear?"

She's pulling rank on him. She's pulling rank because she needs him to be together.

She needs him to be together so that when they go in, at least one of them is not a wreck.

They round the corner and Jo freezes in her tracks. Ros is just standing there, waiting for them to approach.

"I've got it. Is there a computer in the car?"

Jo can hear Ben sigh with relief; he thinks it all went to plan still, that it was just a close shave. He doesn't have enough experience to understand. He doesn't know that her voice retains that cold tone because she is running on autopilot.

Jo looks into her eyes and all she can see is pure adrenaline.

And beyond that, grief.

"Yeah," she whispers, "we'll send the information to Malcolm on the way in. You did a good job Ros"

"I always do"

They drive in silence; Jo and Ros in the back seat, the shadows partially shielding them from Ben's view. The bruises are starting to blossom now, and Jo can't help but remember when Ros took her make-up shopping for foundation, and taught her how to do a proper cover up. In fact, Ros taught her everything about being a female spook. Well, not everything; some things she had to learn by herself. They pull up outside of Thames House and Jo indicates for Ben to go on ahead.

"Let's take a walk"

* * *

They barely make it a block when shock kicks in. Ros merely crumples to the ground and Jo dutifully holds back the blonde's hair as she vomits in the gutter. To passers-by they just look like a pair of lager ladettes; not two exhausted spies.

Ros leans back against the wall; the back of her neck tingling from the cool sensation of the brick, and takes another drag of her cigarette. Her hands never stop shaking.

"Connie says I should ask for help... See a shrink"

"You should"

"But you don't"

"You don't want to be like me Jo" she sighs, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Jo sees then the frailty that is bubbling beneath the ice; she just didn't think the ice would be _that_ thin. She realises then that Ros is just bits and pieces, broken and mended with spider web; amazingly strong yet exceedingly fragile. Ros Myers is a paradox, and a dangerous one at that.

Ros takes one last drag and stubs out the cigarette before giving Jo a weak smile.

"It'll be alright Jo"

* * *

_Please Review_

_xXx_


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